The Broken Past
by Annabeth Leung
Summary: 26 years old, Leha Reed is a strong, courageous, widowed woman and is renowned for her beauty. Been through the American Revolutionary War as a spy and writer, and running a cafe and shop including a family all at once. Now the only problem is remembering all of it. Lost in her own world, Leha tries to win back and remember her past, family and husband; which is all rightfully hers


***This story is really truly inspired from the real GREAT book: Time Enough For Drums By: AR; it is a great book about the ARW and a life of a teen through love and family. Read it! And I only added Gemma D. Tri. because it was also a part of this great story. The real reason: I couldn't find ****Time Enough For Drums from the list.***

**Please COMMENT! It helps!**

* * *

December 3, 1785

Boston, MA

Inside warm; Outside, cold and lonely

The cold winter storm in Boston told many stories.

From mysterious deaths to deathly secrets, to unreliable friends to faithful rebels; Boston was the place everything happened.

I was looking outside of the cafe windows and just staring at the people walking by. There were carriages, horses, people coming and going. The Rose Inn across the street was getting lots of visitors this week and so was my cafe and shop. The people were laughing and looked so merrily esp. after the war. The war was just a few years ago, when many Americans rebel against King George and many lives were taken. My own husband had also gone to war many years ago and was part of it years before the war even started. He hasn't come back home yet.

"Madame? Alex won't go to sleep!"

I turned around and faced Louise, my French servant and one of my only friends I had left.

"Did you try to give him some warm milk" I asked

"Oh madame, I have tried that too! Little Alex wouldn't go to sleep! I am so sorry Madame I have failed you once more!" She cried.

"It's alright, I will go up stairs myself and try. Stay here and begin to close up the cafe and the shop, it is getting pretty late."

I ran upstairs to Alex's room. I opened his door quietly and saw him still reading his books.

"Mama!" He cried and leaped into my arms.

Alexander was my son and he was about to turn 5 very soon.

"Mama! Please, do I have to go to bed now? It is only the beginning of night" he pleaded.

"And a young boy like you needs his rest" I say.

"Mother please? Since I helped out with the cafe today, read a book and wrote a letter to Auntie Rachel? You said so after I had done all that!"

I did promise his nightly freedom if he had done so and I let him run down stairs and play around in out house cafe, and shop.

I began to walk downstairs back to the cafe to see if Louise or Mary, my other servant was needing help to close up the cafe and the shop. Then I heard Mary call my name.

"Leha! Leha! Come quick! Martha seems to have some problem with the Inn!"

I ran to the foggy windows and stared outside at the Inn. The dark night made the outside look scary, but I wasn't scared.

"I can't see anything, Mary. Are you sure?"

"Yes Leha! Look closer!"

I squinted harder and into the night and in the moonlight, I saw Martha was in sleeping clothes with only a small piece of clothing on talking to a man. The man seems to have a few packages with him and looked like he wanted to stay at the Inn. Martha was a dear friend and neighbor and I decided to go help her.

"Louise! Mary! May you look after Alex and the house? I need to go across the street and find out what the man needs."

Mary and Louise had a shocked face on. "But Madame!" cried Louise, "The storm! It's very cold outside!"

I smiled and said "I have seen worse. Now hand me a lamp and I will go see what it is."

Alex came rushing in and said "Oh Mama, can I go? I need to fetch the cookies Mrs Rose and I made the other day!"

I knew Alex was just making excuses as the usually and said "Alright but get your wool coat and our hats, we are going to need them."

* * *

We finally walked into the windy night and walked across the street and trying to hold onto little Alex. When we reached Martha's Inn we heard the Stranger and her convo.

"...I understand sir. However my husband and my Inn do not have anymore space for you tonight. I'm afraid that you would have to go to another one."

"But miss, I have to stay here. Its for personal purposes. I will pay as much as you wager."

Then Martha saw me and said "Oh Leha it is wonder to see you here in such a frightful night. May you please help me convince this poor young man that the Rose Inn is full and I really tried to help! Perhaps you can?"

The man hadn't turned around to face me yet and I began to say "Of course Martha! I will try my best! He can stay at my house, if he must. My husband's room is empty, he can stay in that room for now."

Alex then leaped out of my arms and ran to the man. And he said "Sir, my mother is nice enough to hand you Father's room! Usually she lets no one in there, not even me! Sir you can come to our place and stay!"

The stranger suddenly said "Oh? And what is this young gentlemen name?"

"Mother said not to tell anyone my name unless I have their's first." Alex replied

I smiled and walked over to the man.

"I'm so sorry sir, my little boy is sometimes acts like me. My name is Leha . No one here calls me by my husband's last name or maiden name either. This here is my son, Alexander. My cafe is right over there and the shop is connected to it. And I would not have to take you your things to Mr. Telly's Inn, for it's a couple of blocks away and in such a windy night you can stay here."

The man turned and smiled at me. "The boy is right, my name is Robert Kent came all the way from New York City. You see, I only came here to Boston to visit some friends and family. I then saw that they weren't home, and needed a place to stay. If it weren't for your kindness miss, i guess I would still be begging Mrs. Rose here."

Mr. Kent gave a little bow of respect and like that, we helped him get his things into the cafe and shop.

* * *

"Madame, this is...?" started Louise.

I said, "Right now, it doesn't matter. Just get his things in My husband's room please. He needs a place to stay for the night. Everywhere else is full and it is a stormy windy night in Boston."

"Well we need to know his name at least right?" popped in Mary who started to smile brightly at Robert.

"My name is Robert Kent, I am so sorry to bother you all at this time of night. May I ask these you kind ladies who are they?"

"My name is Mary Morris and this is Louise Amour. Oh and there's Arthur, Louise's brother whose out right now. We are just servants here, no ladies...except Madam here! She is the loveliest out of all Boston and everyone wants to marry her; she is a lady!" Mary says as she points to me.

I quickly protest and say "Now girls, we have to let this gentleman have his rest and talk about this tomorrow."

The night rode on as Arthur, Louise's brother came back from the port and brought in supplies for the cafe and shop. He was introduced to Robert by no other than Mary herself who was very fond of Robert. She showed him everything and knowing that I didn't mind everything else our cafe and shop was and is famous for. The rooms she also showed to our guest and all the other parts of my humble home. We always had guests around so we always welcomed each and everyone.

* * *

Finally when everyone else was officially tucked into their beds including Alex and Robert, I went to my lonely bedroom and closed the door. The moonlight shone through my opened windows and I went towards it. I went on the window seat and wondered where my husband still was. The truth was, I don't remember how he looked like or when he left or about anything of him or my past. Mary, Louise and Arthur says I had lost my memory when one day Alex got lost. "He was just a walking baby wandering in the forest.", recalled Arthur, "It was late one night when you were visiting a neighbor, miss and left Alex along by accident. Then we noticed he was missing so we looked for him and asked friends to help and they gladly found him near the rocky edge of the nearby river, you ran to him and fell down. When we rescued you and Alexander, you had already hit your head onto one of the rocks. By the the time you woke up, you different even know what your name was and even denied you were related to Alex in any kind of way." After that I remember how they showed me around Boston trying to recover some of my past and even little Alex tried to help sometimes. He blames himself for what happened, but I told him, "Alex, you were young back then, barely knew a few sentences we cannot blame you for anything."

I shook my head and got out of my flashback and stared at the moon outside. It shone very brightly and the stars did too. I loved the moon, always did. Every night I would look at it talking to it sometimes, asking questions I knew that never could be answered.

"Moon," I asked "Do you know me well? I hope you do. You are the one that remembers everything that I don't. If only you can tell me where my husband is, who was he? How is he like? Was he nice, tall smart? Or is he still plain alive?"

No answer.

I sighed and looked at the walls near the window and saw tally marks made by me. There were at least 24 of them, I guess I made them before. I slide my hand across each and everyone of the marks and counted "1, 2, 3, 4, 5..." until I reached the last one and said "33." I tried to recall what I was counting ...and thought hard.

"Months" I cry! "I was counting 33 months! But why months?"

"You were waiting for someone aren't you?"

I stopped and shocked from the voice I looked down from the window. No one.

"Here my lady, on your right."

I turned to my right outside of the window and saw Robert reading near the window sill. "Having fun talking to yourself Ms. Reed?"

I found that not offense, but welcoming and replied " Yes, I feel much better if I do. No one was suppose to know but now you do Mr. Kent. I fI do tell them, they will think I need to set up a meeting with the good Doctor Charles."

I heard Kent laugh and told him to quiet down or he might disturb the others. Instead he said " I do this every night, read books and also think to myself. I recall all the horrible things I did in the past and write it out in my journal. Of course I keep it only to myself."

I sat on the window seat and cont to stare out the window and said to Robert, "I just wished people would tell me more about my past and not keep it hidden away from me as if they were scared of it."

"Oh? Why do you think they are scared for you then madam?" said Kent.

I peered out from my window and saw Robert writing in his journal and I said "Might be because of my husband."

Now Robert stopped writing. He turned and looked at me, smiled and said "Do you know about him then?"

I faced him and sighed " Barely. The neighbors people wouldn't even tell me his name and all I know is that he was tall and a total book worm. The rest, I don't know."

"You don't even recall how he treated you or how he lefty?"

"No."

"You are lucky you have family to love and care for you."

"Mr. Kent didn't you say you came here to visit them?"

He raised his head, and faced me to say, "Would you like to come with me to visit them?"


End file.
